looking for recommendations for safety toe shoes/boots

need to get a pair of safety toe shoes/boots for work. what do you like? what are some quality brands?
will be working outside on asphalt, grass and concrete.

For a boot I like Timberland Mudslingers, comfortable and waterproof with a steel toe. For a tennis type shoe Timberland Sertas with a composite toe is pretty good.

I’ll only comment on asphalt boots since that’s what I’ve been doing for the last 21 years. I found these about 5 years ago and they are the best by a long shot. The sole can handle up to 592 degrees and they have a light 200 gram insulation which contrary to what most people think actually helps keep the heat out. I can walk on the 300 degree mat right behind the screed if needed and it barely leaves a mark.
If your not primarily around asphalt I would pass on these though. The sole is flat and can be a bit slippery on other surfaces.

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Keen makes a very good work boot.
With 30 years of construction Uber my belt. I have wore just about every brand there is.

Red wing 2410 is what I’ve been wearing. I get a new pair every year

not working on hot, fresh asphalt. sorry for the confusion. those were just the surfaces i’d be walking on.

I wore Red Wing King Toes (I don’t remember the model #) that had composite safety toes. Warmer than steel, seemed to not cut in to the top of my toes when kneeling for layout / measurements, & IF there was an incident I was worried about the steel cap being crushed and to rebounding & toes being trapped.
Soles seemed to have good life too.

Love my Doc Martens

https://www.drmartens.com/us/en/ironbridge-steel-toe/p/21678214

Red wing 2408

X2 on Doc Martens. They are the way to go. Excellent support for your ankles and arches. I really like the flap that goes over the top of your arch for protection. Highly recommend.

I don’t know what you consider quality or what kind of price point you are going for but I have finally found real quality made in USA tough a#s comfortable boots. 3 companies to choose from,
JK boots
FRANKS BOOTS
NICKS BOOTS
Made to fit you in whatever leather you choose with whatever vibram some you choose and whatever safety toe you choose. I have 2 pairs of JK boots and my next pair will be a nicks or franks just to spread the love around. I was a redwing guy until they discontinued the 2 styles I liked and then started making over half of their line in china. I have tried a lot of different boots in my time and have almost always been disappointed. No disappointment with JK boots!

Michael Best wrote:

Keen makes a very good work boot.
With 30 years of construction Uber my belt. I have wore just about every brand there is.

Just bought my second pair of the Keen Cincinnati 6″ boot. Very comfortable and soft insole. I work maintenance at a welding shop.

I get a stipend. 125 per year or 250 every other year. Price really doesn’t matter. Comfort, quality and made in the usa. Importance in that order

Just bought another pair of keen work boots for the A team, other than the toe leather going out(got some toe protectant this time around) was very impressed with how they lasted. Sole looks new, guy said they are as good as new in his opinion.

I personally rock the work shoe, won’t ever go back to a boot. Composite toe has saved my lil piggies more than once from heavy machines, pallets and other $hit that happens on jobsite stuff.

Nokomis shoe shop gets my biz, owner gave me some dough off since buying a handful and threw in some discounted socks and free gloves. Very grateful guy and personable, highly recommend.

Keen are very nice boots and have a larger than other shoes toe box which a lot people find very comfortable. Their boots and shoes are good quality. Red Wings are nice boots but very expensive and have a narrower toe box which some people find crowd their toes. Need to try them on. Thorogood boots are good quality and made in WI. Lots of choices hard to go wrong with a name brand boot.

Bearcat89 wrote:

Red wing 2408

^^ what he said.
I’ve probably made over a million dollars in about 8 or so pairs.

Make sure if u get red wings u get made in USA ones. Some are made in Asia and the difference in quality is apparent.

As far as keens, I’ve only owned one pair of hiking boots. Super light and comfortable but fell apart VERY quickly. And they were spendy.

It’s funny probably 15+ years ago I went through a couple pair of cheaper caterpillar brand boots and each pair lasted a long time and were tough as nails. Can’t speak on their quality since then.

MNdrifter wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
Red wing 2408

^^ what he said.
I’ve probably made over a million dollars in about 8 or so pairs.

Best work boot out there. Made in the USA.

LabDaddy1 wrote:

Make sure if u get red wings u get made in USA ones. Some are made in Asia and the difference in quality is apparent.

Such as the “King Toe”. They are junk. Back when Sears Die Hards were made in USA, those were my boot of choice. You had to take them to a shoe shop to get speed clips installed, but they were a good boot for the money. I think you can still get Die Hard boots but they are made in Bangladesh now I think. They went downhill fast.

had a couple pair of the king toes and didnt care for them. ive had 4-5 pair of the 2408’s and liked them. decided to try something different and tried the 2410’s which are even better than the 2408’s IMO and basically dont take any time to break in for me. they are USA made also

The “Project Farm” channel on YouTube tested different aspects of safety boots – could help narrow your search for what boots match your needs.

Rose anvil on YouTube does a lot of boot and shoe reviews and he actually cuts them in half so you can see exactly what you’re getting and how they are constructed along with puncture testing.

I am a long time Red Wing wearer, and converted to Timberland Pro Boondocks without regret. The rose anvil guy cited above reviews them pretty highly as well.

The Red Wings worked fine, but these seem to just have held up a bit better to the same conditions. I am at probably 10 months with wearing them 2 full days a week in Winter and then a couple of evenings after my other job per week. In the summer they are worn 5 days a week minimum. My work environment is mud, fields, gravel, in the woods, and occasionally on blacktop loading trucks in the yard. These would NOT be my first choice if I was only on dry flat concrete all day. If that were the case I’d go with a lighter boot with less aggressive tread.

Keen make some pretty good work shoes and boots. Had some trouble with plantar fasciutus but probably wasnt the shoes fault.

Off topic but

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Alpha Medical Plantar Fascitis Night Splint Heel & Foot Pain; P.F. Brace L4398